Got my NEW elan from clemo

[Gordon]

Could this thread BE anymore ?

[theelanman]

I know I seem to be loosing track of TB's to'ings and fro'ings

[dapinky]

i dont have a garage to do that s**t man

i stripped down and re-built and sprayed/restored my 50cc honda MT5 when i was 16

but i'm not into mechanics and stuff now

Point #1 - I DO have a garage, but my proper car lives in it (Angie thinks it's a shed, but never mind!) so when my head gasket went, all the repairs were done under the fully protective winter sky! (As is all of the maintanance/repair/upgrades since then).

Point #2 - if you did it then, you could do it now (unless you are unluky enough to have become infirm in your maturity).

Point #3 - as point 2 really - if you're not into it, fair enough (not everyone likes the oily bits, but loves the cars [like Gary & others on here]) but, being the custodian of a Lotus, you have 3 choices,
1) realise that they're not much more difficult than any other car to work on, just a bit more fiddly, and get on with it (learning if you have to).
2) pay the prices charged by the garages and put up with it
3) do nothing, but complain when it disintigrates with age/use (as any car does).

You have to remember, they are hand-built cars, made in small numbers, designed 20 years ago, using parts which are now 17 years old, built on a tight budget by a skilled workforce and were not designed to be all things to all men.

They were designed/built for a niche market, and still do the job as brilliantly today, as they did 17 years ago.

Driving and looking at it makes all the rest seem insignificant!

Compare the elan with something else of the era, eg Sierra Cosworth 4x4 - how many of them are still on the road now? How many have fallen prey to rust or thrashing by boy-racers? How many will be about in another 15 years? Then thank Lotus for what we all enjoy, and put up with (because it is worth it!!).

[Rambo]

i dont think m100 is appealing to me because not many people know what m100 means

TB - No one will know what L10DUS and G10DUS and E10DUS mean either. As Paul says this reads LODUS rather than LOTUS - and there weren't many of them made

Don't waste you money giving DVLC what in effect is another tax. Save it for servicing/repairs/parts etc.............. all of which you will need before long !

PS I'm pleased to hear you may have a result with your original purchase but don't give up until you have all your money back from this rogue dealer. Don't settle for anything less and be very carefull as to how this cowboy returns your £££££'s.

[TrueBlue]

Gordon and theelanman: sorry i had a bit of a bumpy landing into the world of elan ownership but glad to say i'm settled now.. hope u like the pics..

Rambo: thanks for the support Rambo...i am right with you there....something seems a little too easy about it all......i was expecting him to be difficult

Dapinky... I agree totally
i could do the repairs etc myself but i am a (retired) publisher/designer now and getting oily etc isnt my cup of tea now...I have settled with the Local Lotus garage who charge £70 per hour but are very efficient it seems... the mechanic there doing my car worked for Lotus UK when they were making and assembling the elan...and i feel very confident
Clemo did me good with the car it is a good solid Elan in quite good condition compared to many others and it has a good histiry/log

I'm spending about £1000 on it + probably a new S2 or later edition hood (with wider flaps) ...getting the whole rear assembly sandblasted and wax oiled and any bits replaced (4 hours labour)!!!
also theyve checked over the whole car
getting new angle sensor, A post seals...window wobble repair...and a few other minor bits and pieces
Atleast i will know then that it is the best it can be, i cant enjoy it if there is anything wrong...
so yes it will be perfect and i will enjoy it
and if i sell it in 2 years time for an S2 then i will know it is a very good SE so it will be expensive(ish) and there wont be a spot of rust on it...

i am glad now to have now settled into elan ownership after the confusing scramble at the start....distressed and scratching my head

kewl!! now i am a happy elaner
and i'm getting a lotus cap and T Shirt
oh and 2 LEC mugs aswell!!

my personal thesis on elan ownership
hope you like the pictures of it at the begginning of this thread...more to follow

[dapinky]

I have settled with the Local Lotus garage who charge £70 per hour but are very efficient it seems... the mechanic there doing my car worked for Lotus UK when they were making and assembling the Elan...and i feel very confident

I'm glad that you're happy with the car (and Elans in general), but £70ph seems a lot to me (or am I out of touch?).

Webbs specialist cars at Nailsea charge £40ph, and Simon is Lotus trained.

He fixed the wiring causing my CEL in about 5 minutes, after I'd spent about 8 hours, numerous elanscan runs and all of Geoff Smiths vast reserve of knowledge without result! (and he didn't charge me for it ).

Nailsea isn't that far from you if you wanted to save a few quid (i agree that for an odd hours labour it wouldn't be worth it, but on a total spend of £1k it may be.....?)

[Paul.P]

I'm glad that you're happy with the car (and Elans in general), but £70ph seems a lot to me (or am I out of touch?).

Dave, £70/hr is going rate for main lotus dealer, £40-£50/hr is rate for specialists. How they warrant the difference is beyond me, as ive had experience of both, & much prefer the specialist service i get !. Funnily enough, main ford dealer up the road charges £65/hr

[dapinky]

In that case I'll just shut up

I'm glad i can read a Haynes manual and work a set of spanners though, otherwise I'd probably end up selling a couple of kidneys to pay garage bills

[Rambo]

£70 ph is about right for a Lotus dealership - I think Murray Motors in Edinburgh may be even more now ? That's why no one uses them !!

My local garage (Manor garage, West Linton) know Lotus cars well and do a variety of other exotica from Ferrari, Lambo etc.... down to the more mundane and only charge about £36. That's why I use them for the more difficult tasks !!

TB - About 25 miles away from you is SJ Sportscars in Crediton (tel. 01363 777790) Great for spare parts etc and in the Club Lotus magazine they state "our labour rate is amongst the cheapest in Lotus circles @ £32.50 ph + VAT for mechanical and £25.00 ph + VAT for bodywork" I don't know if Clemo has ever used them for repairs but it might be worth checking them out and saving yourself £££ ?

[TrueBlue]

£70 ph is about right for a Lotus dealership - I think Murray Motors in Edinburgh may be even more now ? That's why no one uses them !!

My local garage (Manor garage, West Linton) know Lotus cars well and do a variety of other exotica from Ferrari, Lambo etc.... down to the more mundane and only charge about £36. That's why I use them for the more difficult tasks !!

TB - About 25 miles away from you is SJ Sportscars in Crediton (tel. 01363 777790) Great for spare parts etc and in the Club Lotus magazine they state "our labour rate is amongst the cheapest in Lotus circles @ £32.50 ph + VAT for mechanical and £25.00 ph + VAT for bodywork" I don't know if Clemo has ever used them for repairs but it might be worth checking them out and saving yourself £££ ?

Thanks Rambo and everyone for enlightening me
i recently got a seal part from SJ and a parts list
i wasnt aware that they had a mechanic or sprayshop set-up
that is handy to know thanks

Peninsula are doing it now so too late for change
i'm not bothered with a 1K spend on a new car
i did the same when i got my jeep years ago
had it fully checked out and restored to 100% cambelt etc
and in 10 years my jeep has NEVER broken down!! just needed a new battery once

[clan]

Gordon and theelanman: sorry i had a bit of a bumpy landing into the world of Elan ownership but glad to say i'm settled now.. hope u like the pics..

Rambo: thanks for the support Rambo...i am right with you there....something seems a little too easy about it all......i was expecting him to be difficult

Dapinky... I agree totally
i could do the repairs etc myself but i am a (retired) publisher/designer now and getting oily etc isnt my cup of tea now...I have settled with the Local Lotus garage who charge £70 per hour but are very efficient it seems... the mechanic there doing my car worked for Lotus UK when they were making and assembling the Elan...and i feel very confident
Clemo did me good with the car it is a good solid Elan in quite good condition compared to many others and it has a good histiry/log

I'm spending about £1000 on it + probably a new S2 or later edition hood (with wider flaps) ...getting the whole rear assembly sandblasted and wax oiled and any bits replaced (4 hours labour)!!!
also theyve checked over the whole car
getting new angle sensor, A post seals...window wobble repair...and a few other minor bits and pieces
Atleast i will know then that it is the best it can be, i cant enjoy it if there is anything wrong...
so yes it will be perfect and i will enjoy it
and if i sell it in 2 years time for an S2 then i will know it is a very good SE so it will be expensive(ish) and there wont be a spot of rust on it...

i am glad now to have now settled into Elan ownership after the confusing scramble at the start....distressed and scratching my head

kewl!! now i am a happy elaner
and i'm getting a lotus cap and T Shirt
oh and 2 LEC mugs aswell!!

my personal thesis on Elan ownership
hope you like the pictures of it at the begginning of this thread...more to follow

I thought that the A post seals were out of stock at Lotus?

[TrueBlue]

I thought that the A post seals were out of stock at Lotus? [/quote]

yes i think they probably are...just one of the things on the list